Improvement in the construction of oil-tanks



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THADDEUS O. JOY, OF TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,648, dated October 9, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THADDEUs C. JOY, of Titusville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new Mode of Constructing Oil-Tanks5 and I do hereby de- Clare that the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a top view ot' the improved tank. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a modilication ofthe joint of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of my tank, showing a gage applied to it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to so construct large metallic tanks which are designed for holding oil and other liquids that they can be taken apart and packed away in a very small compass for transportation and readily pnttogether again when required, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention7 I will describe its construction and operation.

Tanks for the reception of large quantities ot oil at the oil-\vel lsare made of boiler-iron by riveting the sheets together after the manner of constructing steam-boilers; and as itis desirable oftentimes to move these tanks from one place to another, and from one section of the country to another, it is found veryT ineonvenient, and sometimes impossible, to move them on account of their magnitude and unwieldiness.

To overcome these difficulties, and to make a tank of sheet metal which will be portable,

4and yet when erected be perfectly tight, as

well as capable of resisting the outward pressure upon it when filled, I take sheets of metal of any suitable size and bend their edges outward, so as to form flanges, as shown in the drawings, in which A represents the sheets ofinetal composing the cylinder or body of atank, and a are the iianges, which are formed by bending the edges of the sheets.

This bending ofthe edges of the sheets may be done by machinery adapted to the purpose, so that true right angles may be formed which will abut snugly against each other when put together. These flanges are then punched, and the plates are ready to be put together.

Instead of using rivets, which are permanent fastenings, I employ short screw-bolts b aud nuts, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and interpose sheets of felt, cloth, or other suitable substance between the flanges c a as a watertight packing.

When the bolts are inserted through the anges and packing, and the nuts are screwed home, the joints will be perfectly water-tight.

By unscrewing the nuts the plates can all be separated and packed away in a comparatively small space.

I propose to strengthen the plates at their joints by means of angle-iron strips cc, (shown in Figs. l and 2,) which may be riveted to the plates, or simply held by the bolts and nuts. These angle-irons will add stiffness to the joints and prevent any tendency of the joints to open and leak.

In Fig. I have shown a mode of making the joints tight by simply lapping the edges of the plates of metal, and securing them together by means of bolts and nuts, with a packing between.

In both instances the tanks can be taken down and erected by any person in a very short space of time, and without injuring the plates.

In Fig. 4 I have represented a glass tube applied to the outside of a tank and communieating with the interior of the same at its bottom, for the purpose of indicating the height and quantity ot' liquid in the tank. Behind this tube are certain marks and figures, which will indicate the quantity of liquid in the tank at a glance.

The bottoms and tops of the tanks may be constructed and applied in the usual manner.

The angle-iron may also be used instead of the iianges formed by bending the sheets in the manner heretofore described, which may be done by riveting the angle-iron strips upon the perpendicular edges ot' each section.

The sections of the tank may be made of any number ot' sheets riveted together, forming, when riveted, a large sheet or section, upon the upright edges of which the angle-iron strips may be riveted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The method, substantially as described, of constructing metal tanks for the purpose of rendering them. portable.

THADDEUS O. JOY.

Witnesses JAMES McARTHUR, J onL N. ANGIER. 

